Audio 3:47
Palestinian leader says civilians not being used as shields in Gaza

Chris UhlmannUpdated
Mon Jul 28 09:37:00 EST 2014

Dr Hanan Ashrawi, who is on the executive committee of the Palestine Liberation Organisation, says Israel's campaign in Gaza is totally unacceptable and denies that Hamas is using civilians as shields for military operations.

Transcript

CHRIS UHLMANN: As we've heard from Hayden, there are mixed reports about whether the weekend ceasefire is holding in Gaza.

Earlier I spoke with Dr Hanan Ashrawi, who is on the executive committee of the Palestine Liberation Organisation.

Dr Ashrawi, is there a ceasefire in Gaza at the moment?

HANAN ASHRAWI: Really, I'm not sure because the last thing we heard we was that when the Palestinian factions, the resistance fighters, announced the ceasefire beginning this afternoon, Israel said no. But then effectively we're seeing a decrease in fire power so whether it's going to become a defacto ceasefire or not, we're not sure.

CHRIS UHLMANN: Do you believe there is any chance of a truce?

HANAN ASHRAWI: Of course there is a chance, if the third-party intervention does its job the proper way, if they manage to not only get a ceasefire but also to get the Israeli army out of Gaza, and to lift the siege and to discuss all the issues that led to this situation, rather than keep in place all the conditions of siege, of deprivation, of violence, of Israeli impunity and then we could have a real truce that would lead to the open up of Gaza and of course to negotiations on a political truce.

CHRIS UHLMANN: And of course Israel says there will be no end to this until Hamas stops firing rockets into its territory.

HANAN ASHRAWI: Well, the thing is Israel gives itself every chance to bomb and kill and destroy and blow up peoples' homes and lives and eliminate and exterminate whole families, and then they complain.

This is the first time we see an occupying power asking for protection or calling each attack, self defence by its victim, as the self defence for the occupier. This is not acceptable. I think it is time that Israel understands that it cannot hold a whole population, a whole nation captive.

CHRIS UHLMANN: And yet Hamas does place its people in harm's way by putting rockets in places where civilians are - and that's the view of the United Nations as well as Israel, it's put out two press releases since the 17th July saying it's found rockets in its schools.

HANAN ASHRAWI: That's not true. According to the UN, they've had two cases only of some rockets in empty buildings and they've removed them. That is all, but Israel used that as a pretext for a blanket bombing and for blaming Hamas and blaming the victims.

CHRIS UHLMANN: But just on that second statement, they did say that that vacant school was between two other schools that accommodated 1,500 internally displaced people.

HANAN ASHRAWI: The school that was bombed did not have any kind of weapons in it and it was bombed and shelled by Israel and it was a safe haven.

CHRIS UHLMANN: Dr Ashrawi, if Israel will never work with Hamas and Hamas with Israel will there ever be peace?

HANAN ASHRAWI: Israel has to recognise Palestinian dualistic inclusive political system. And Hamas is part of it. And that's the only way there will be peace. Israel cannot pick and choose who to talk to and not talk to, and the same as we couldn't pick or choose the members of this currently Israeli coalition, who are the most extremist, racist, violent coalition in the history of Israel.

CHRIS UHLMANN: Finally, what is your view of the way the Australian Government's conducting its policy when it comes to Israel and Palestine at the moment?

HANAN ASHRAWI: I think the Australian Government has sided entirely and in a very biased and unquestioning way with Israel. This is not acceptable.

CHRIS UHLMANN: Dr Hanan Ashrawi.

And Foreign Minister Julie Bishop has this morning announced Australia will give five million dollars for urgent humanitarian assistance to Gaza. The money will pay for emergency food and medical supplies.